Sep 7, 2010
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month - Choking and Suffocation
Category:General
As part of September National Childhood Injury Prevention Month, Mom’s Medicine Chest would like to highlight two leading causes of kids’ unintentional death and injury - choking and suffocation. According to the latest CDC (Centers for Disease Control) statistics, an estimated 17,537 children ages 14 and younger were treating in US Emergency departments for choking episodes. In 2007, there were 959 unintentional suffocation deaths among children under 1 years old - it is the number one cause of death in this age group.
Tips to help Prevent Choking in Children:
-Always supervise children when eating, crawling, walking or exploring their surroundings.
-Never leave small objects (including coins, small toys, and batteries) withing their reach.
-Cut food into small pieces (grapes, hot dogs, berries, chunks of cheese, etc.)
-Be vigilant in childproofing your house
-Take extra precaution around balloons. Latex balloon pieces are a common source of choking. Use Mylar balloons instead of latex whenever you have the choice.
-Learn infant CPR and toddler CPR (including the Heimlich maneuver). Different techniques are used depending on the size of the child. To find a local infant/child CPR class, visit your local Red Cross location, or go to www.redcross.org to find a local class. You can also check with a local children’s hospital. Often these classes are free or very inexpensive and will give you peace of mind if you should ever need these skills.
that they sink into. Infants 0 to 4 months old have the greatest risk of
suffocating. These young infants don't have enough strength to lift their heads and
turn their faces so that they can breathe. Toddlers and older children can be suffocated by plastic bags or sheets of plastic.
Tips to help Prevent Suffocation in Children:
-Avoid placing an infant face-down on soft surfaces (soft comforters, waterbeds, mattress covers,etc.)
-Remove all soft objects from baby’s crib (plush toys, blankets, pillows,etc.)
-Avoid using pillow-like bumpers in the crib
-Don’t allow your toddler or young child to play with plastic bags, dangling cords (ex. window blinds), or ropes.
Many of these tips may seem like common sense, but they are sometimes forgotten. National Childhood Injury Prevention Month is a good time to review these guidelines for yourself, your family, and your children’s caregivers.
Choking in Children
Babies and toddlers are curious about everything they come into contact with. One of the only ways they know to explore an object is to put it in their mouths. Choking is usually caused when they try to swallow food, small toys or any object small enough to block their airway. Top causes for ER visits due to choking are hot dogs, grapes, popcorn, nuts, carrots, coins, batteries, balloon pieces, hard candy and gum. These foods/objects form a perfect plug in your child’s airway. Here are some tips to help prevent your child from choking. Always call 911 or have someone call for you in the event that your child is actually suffering from choking.Tips to help Prevent Choking in Children:
-Always supervise children when eating, crawling, walking or exploring their surroundings.
-Never leave small objects (including coins, small toys, and batteries) withing their reach.
-Cut food into small pieces (grapes, hot dogs, berries, chunks of cheese, etc.)
-Be vigilant in childproofing your house
-Take extra precaution around balloons. Latex balloon pieces are a common source of choking. Use Mylar balloons instead of latex whenever you have the choice.
-Learn infant CPR and toddler CPR (including the Heimlich maneuver). Different techniques are used depending on the size of the child. To find a local infant/child CPR class, visit your local Red Cross location, or go to www.redcross.org to find a local class. You can also check with a local children’s hospital. Often these classes are free or very inexpensive and will give you peace of mind if you should ever need these skills.
Suffocation in Children
Most infant suffocation occur when babies are placed face down on a soft surfacethat they sink into. Infants 0 to 4 months old have the greatest risk of
suffocating. These young infants don't have enough strength to lift their heads and
turn their faces so that they can breathe. Toddlers and older children can be suffocated by plastic bags or sheets of plastic.
Tips to help Prevent Suffocation in Children:
-Avoid placing an infant face-down on soft surfaces (soft comforters, waterbeds, mattress covers,etc.)
-Remove all soft objects from baby’s crib (plush toys, blankets, pillows,etc.)
-Avoid using pillow-like bumpers in the crib
-Don’t allow your toddler or young child to play with plastic bags, dangling cords (ex. window blinds), or ropes.
Many of these tips may seem like common sense, but they are sometimes forgotten. National Childhood Injury Prevention Month is a good time to review these guidelines for yourself, your family, and your children’s caregivers.
